1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a non-aqueous cleaning liquid which is used for cleaning an ink flow path and a method of cleaning an ink flow path using the same.
2. Related Art
In the related art, a so-called ink jet recording apparatus is known in which images and characters are recorded using fine ink droplets which are discharged from nozzles of an ink jet recording head. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink flow path for circulating ink is provided, for example, a flow path for supplying ink from an ink container containing ink to an ink jet recording head, or a flow path for circulating ink to a nozzle opening in an ink jet recording head.
In the ink jet recording apparatus, when clogging of an ink flow path occurs, ink supply may be inhibited or ink discharge may fail. In order to solve such problems, for example, a cleaning liquid is circulated inside an ink flow path (refer to JP-A-2007-254550).
An ink flow path is filled with ink again after being cleaned by a cleaning liquid. Therefore, in order to easily replace a cleaning liquid and ink, a configuration in which both of them contain similar components is known, for example, components included in a cleaning liquid and a main solvent included in ink are the same (refer to JP-A-2011-140556). From this point of view, when an ink flow path is cleaned in an ink jet recording apparatus using a non-aqueous ink including an organic solvent as a major component, there are many cases in which a non-aqueous cleaning liquid containing the same organic solvent as that of a non-aqueous ink is used.
There are many cases in which the above-described cleaning liquid is stored in a container before being supplied to an ink flow path of an ink jet recording apparatus. In such a container for storing a cleaning liquid, a polyolefin film may be used for a member in contact with the cleaning liquid.
However, when a non-aqueous cleaning liquid is used, there are cases where an organic solvent included therein dissolves in the polyolefin film and foreign materials in a container are generated. The foreign materials generated in the container flow into an ink flow path along with the cleaning liquid, which may cause defects such as nozzle clogging and may inhibit the cleaning of the ink flow path. In addition, when a polyolefin-based material is used for an ink flow path, the same problems as those generated in the container occur, which may inhibit the cleaning of the ink flow path.